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STORY: Kurds may have felt sidelined in Turkish politics for a long time, but that could be about to change.

The general election in May will determine whether President Tayyip Erdogan extends his rule after more than two decades in power.

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"We expect the regime to go and we will fight for it. We have high hopes for the election."

And with polls showing support finely balanced between Erdogan's ruling alliance and the opposition,

the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party or HDP could be a potential kingmaker. Let's take a closer look.

[GFX: How Turkey's Kurds may upset Erdogan's re-election]

Erdogan and his AK Party are facing their toughest electoral challenge since his rise to power.

Inflation is soaring.

The government is also facing criticism over its response the catastrophic earthquake in February that killed at least 48,000 people in the country.

Polls suggest it will be a tight race for both the presidency and the parliament.

[GFX: Erdogan and the Kurds]

For many years Erdogan courted the Kurds, who make up about 20% of Turkey's population.

He won support in the mainly Kurdish southeast with moves to boost Kurdish rights, economic progress and a bid to end a conflict with Kurdish militants.

But the support has steadily eroded as Erdogan's government has taken a stronger nationalist line.

Here is HDP lawmaker, Imam Tascier.

"Erdogan came to power by saying that he will solve the problems of democracy, human rights, freedoms, and the 'Kurdish problem', and he kept this rhetoric until 2015. In the last 8 years, the policies took a turn and he pushed freedoms, democracy, human rights, and the Kurdish problem away with the back of his hand."

[GFX: What is the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP)?]

The opposition has been courting the HDP, the parliament's third-biggest party.

In return, the HDP wants them to back demands for Kurdish rights and other issues.

With opinion polls showing public support for the HDP running at more than 10%,

the party could play a key role in a vote that will decide who leads Turkey.

[GFX: What role could the HDP play?]

Opposition parties are backing this man - Kemal Kilicdaroglu - to beat Erdogan.

And they want the HDP to join them.

But legal challenges could derail the role of the HDP.

In a case now in court, the party could be banned from the May vote over charges it has links to Kurdish militants.

The HDP denies any such ties.

It's requested a postponement of the April court hearing on grounds it would disrupt its vote preparations.